Jim Irsay, owner and executive director of the Indianapolis Colts, dies at 65, announced the team this Wednesday afternoon.
Indianapolis – Jim Irsay, Owner of the Indianapolis Colts and who directed the team since 1997 and presided over one of the most important times of the historic franchise, died on Wednesday. He was 65 years old.
“We are devastated to announce that our dear owner and executive director, Jim Irsay, He died peacefully this afternoon while sleeping, “said the director of Operations of the ColtsPete Ward, in a statement issued by the team. “Jim's dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts, in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community and, most importantly, his love for his family, were insurmountable.”
Irsay is survived by his daughters Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casemy Fund Jackson, His ex -wife and mother of his daughters, Meg Coyle, and 10 grandchildren.
Irsay-Gordon, His eldest daughter is considered the most involved in the team's operations and occupied the place of her father during her NFL suspension in 2014, after being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Irsay assumed the main property at 37 after the death of his father, Bob, and after the conclusion of a legal battle with his stepmother. He became the youngest owner of the NFL at that time, but would become one of the most influential during his club management.
Irsay had been an outstanding member of the Finance Committee of the NFL and presided over the Legislative Committee. Even before assuming control, he was deeply involved in matters of the League. He was part of a group of four executives appointed by the then NFL commissioner, Pete Rozellein the 1980s to design what would become the salary limit of the League.
But he balanced those official roles with a public image that contradicted what would be expected from a multi -million dollar owner of the NFL. Always eccentric and Franco, Irsay won the reputation of having a peculiar personality among a group of colleagues who generally strive to be the center of attention.
From touching the guitar and singing at all lungs with the Jim Irsay Band Even his unpredictable publications on social networks, Irsay was undoubtedly an independent man. I used to distribute contributors of 100 dollars to fans in the training of the Colts and was known for organizing Trivia contests for fans on Twitter; The winners received tickets for colts or even trips with all expenses paid to matches outside the home or the Super Bowl.
Irsay supervised a prolific period of success for colts. Indianapolis is the fifth organization with the most victories in the NFL since Irsay officially became the owner. That success followed a period of constant uselessness, with the Colts suffering the eighth greater amount of defeats in the League since Bob Irsay moved the team to Indianapolis in 1984 until the young Irsay assumed control.
Under the direction of Irsay, the Colts They advanced to two Super Bowls, winning the Super Bowl XLI After the 2006 season. Perhaps Irsay's most enduring image is a photograph taken that night, on February 4, 2007. In it, the Lombardi trophy holds high with the right hand, oblivious to the rain that fell, enjoying the best moment of the franchise in a generation.
In 2012, Irsay was at the center of one of the most difficult decisions of the franchise. Made the final decision to free Manningthe first global team of the 1998 Draft, widely considered the best player in the history of the team. An uncertain future due to a neck injury and the financial difficulties of the team led to one of the most notable template movements in the history of the League.
